We Can Work it Out

Souper Bowl Sunday 2012

2012-01-12T11:55:00.001-08:00

Souper Bowl Sunday
Sunday, March 4 from 4:30-6:30pm
Athens Community Center (off E. State St.)

Enjoy a delicious meal provided by area restaurants
Take home a locally made hand-crafted bowl
Entertainment will be provided by local musicians

*More information as the date gets closer.

Call or email for your tickets!

John, Megan or Rimma 594-6169 or AthensMediation@gmail.com

What We Do

2011-06-29T06:52:00.000-07:00

Athens Area Mediation Service...what we do.

We help people in conflict, many, many kinds of conflict in a wide variety of situations. Some are long term, deeply seated conflicts; some do not seem as serious. Some involve the court and legal system; some do not. Some with people who are ready and willing to work things out; some with people who are angry and discouraged. We have helped people have important conversations and resolve disputes including those between:

Spouses and partners

Co-workers

Business owners and consumers

Parents and teens

Landlords and tenants

Neighbors

Roommates and house mates

Boards, staffs, and groups trying to work together

Residents and officials

… and more

Mediation is fast, affordable, and effective. Contact us to find out more.

Conflict Resolution Training

We all help many groups with training in handling difficulties effectively. Our trainings are highly participatory, geared to the needs of those attending, and, surprisingly, relaxed and enjoyable. Many groups have reported a big shift in their ability to communicate well and work together more smoothly as a result.

We also offer a regular training series in the fundamentals of mediation for those who want to learn more. These trainings are offered four times each year, with three or four sessions totaling fourteen hours. We focus on developing listening and questioning skills that help people explore a crucial issue, “where do we go from here?” Participants report new understandings and growth from engaging with a diverse group around these important communication issues.

Contact John, Megan or Rimma at: 594-6169 or aams@frognet.net

PPF

2011-05-31T08:30:00.001-07:00

Working day at PPF
Saturday, June 4 from 10-2pm
Grand Opening at Putt People First
Hotdogs, music & FREE mini golf from 12-3 on Sunday, June 5

Working Days at Putt People First

2011-04-28T14:27:00.001-07:00

Working Days At Putt People First

Located off of Dairy Lane
Sunday, May 1st from 12:30-3:00 pm
Saturday, May 7th from 11:00-3:00 pm

Working Days at Putt People First

2011-04-28T07:31:00.000-07:00

Working Days at Putt People First

Sunday, May 1st from 12:30-3:00 pm
Sunday, May 8th from 11:30-3:00 pm

Located off of Dairy Lane!

Mediation Training this June!

2011-04-21T07:05:00.000-07:00

Fundamentals of Mediation Training

When: June 14, 15 & 16 from 8:30am to 1:00pm each day
Where: On or near campus

More information when closer to the date.

If you are interested please call or Email us at 740-594-6169 or AAMS@frognet.net

Town Hall Forum Tonight From 6:30 – 8:30 PM At The Athens Community Center

2011-04-19T07:19:00.000-07:00

What kind of community do we want to live in?

How do we want to be treated by the people around us?

What do we need to do to be able to treat others with complete respect?

How can we be civil when we’re not being listened to or treated well?

I’ve got lots of questions. Probably you do, too. We invest a good deal of our time and energy in figuring out some of the answers as we make our way through each day. One of the great things about being in the Athens area is being among so many others who are trying to do the same thing. The result is a community where we have learned to be welcoming and thoughtful much of the time. A friend who has recently returned to Athens after some years in several other cities mentioned how much more open and friendly people are here on a fairly regular basis.

One of the times the questions sound more emphatically is when differences are part of the picture. We are different in many ways, by culture, language, gender, race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, abilities, social position, occupation, religion, beliefs, and more. This is a very, very good thing that adds so much richness and uniqueness to our communities. Still, our response to these differences may add some tension and discomfort as well. It may become very important that we find ways to talk about these differences in meaningful ways, without blame or guilt or attack, if we want to reach our potential as individuals and as a community.

We’ve seen the results of failing to have these meaningful conversations. We lose track of the things we share in common. Safety, connection, and community can be eroded. Some end up feeling excluded and disrespected. Others may feel criticized, blamed and isolated. Some give up while others keep fighting to be noticed and heard. Many people can become polarized and prejudiced. The conditions can be created that foster bigotry and even violence.

To continue to move toward the kind of place we want to be and the kind of people we want to be, we’ll need to try to share our experiences, ideas, and struggles and listen to those of others. We’ll need to figure out how to talk with each other knowing we may not initially agree or understand. We’ll need to explore what it means to have challenging conversations in a lively and civil way.

There will be a Town Hall forum this Tuesday, April 19, from 6:30 – 8:30 PM at the Athens Community Center to address some of our concerns and ideas on diversity and civility, sponsored by the City of Athens , the Athens Community Relations Commission, and the League of Women Voters of Athens County.

It may look a little different than some of the forums, as we’ll spend a good chunk of time meeting in small groups, giving every voice a chance to be heard and giving all of us a chance to learn from each other. It is certain to be engaging and maybe even fun. I look forward to seeing you there.

In community, John Schmieding Chair, Athens Community Relations commission

594-6169 aams@frognet.net

276 Highland Avenue , Athens , OH

Souper Bowl Success

2011-03-08T09:15:00.000-08:00

The 11th Annual Souper Bowl was a great success. Thank you to all of the people who came and helped out.

Another special thanks to:

Abrio's Brick Oven, Avalanche Pizza, Casa Nueva, China Fortune, Crumbs Bakery, Donkey Coffee & Espresso, Eclipse Company Store, The Farmacy, Fluff, JackieO's, Mistretta's Italian Market, The Oak Room, Purple Chopstix, Salaam, Stephen's, The Village Bakery & Zoe's for their great food.

Ohio University Department of Art-Ceramics, Nelsonville Art and Pottery, Passion Works, Susie Abramovitz, & Other area artists for their bowl making.

Lyn Sullivan, Mindy Braasch & Bob Montalto for their entertainment.

Souper Bowl Sunday

2011-02-24T09:49:00.000-08:00

The 11th Annual Souper Bowl is about a week away.

It will be held at the Athens Community Center on March 6 from 4:30-6:30 PM.

Enjoy Soups, Breads and Desserts from:

Avalanche Pizza, Casa Nueva, Crumbs Bakery, Donkey Coffee & Espresso, Mistretta's Italian Market, Salaam, The Farmacy, Purple ChopStix, Stephen's, The Village Bakery, Toscano's, Eclipse Company Store, Jackie O's, and China Fortune

Tickets are $20.00 (includes hand made ceramic bowl)
$5.00 for children under 12 for food only.

For Tickets call 740-594-6169 or email aams@frognet.net

Fundamentals of Mediation Training

2011-01-20T09:36:00.000-08:00

Fundamentals Of Mediation Training
February 11, 18, 25 & March 4
On or near campus

The Athens Area Mediation Service is sponsoring an intensive training in mediation skills. Those participating will learn to use the listening skills and thoughtfully structured approaches of mediation to respond to a wide variety of conflict situations. Past participants have reported being more effective in addressing conflict in the workplace and in their family lives.

Our training style is informal, participatory, and fun. Over four hundred people have enjoyed this training over the last six years.

11th Annual Souper Bowl

2011-01-13T09:13:00.000-08:00

The 11th Annual Souper Bowl is coming up!

Join us on Sunday, March 6th from 4:30-6:30 PM for soup and fun!

Athens' BEST restaurants will be providing soup

There will be music from local favorites

And hand made ceramic bowls!

Don't miss out on this great opportunity to see familiar faces and support us to better serve the area.

It will be held at The Athens Community Center on East State Street

Tickets are $20

Up Coming Mediation Training

2010-11-10T08:37:00.000-08:00

Our training style is informal, participatory, and fun. Over four hundred people have enjoyed this training over the last six years.

When: December 7,9,14 & 16

8:30 – Noon each morning

(Participation in all 4 sessions is encouraged)

Who: Faculty, classified staff, administrators, students & community members. Space is limited.

Where: On or near campus

Registration: contact John, Megan or Rimma @ 594-6169 or aams@frognet.net

Monday Nights in Training

2010-10-12T12:14:00.000-07:00

The last two Monday nights, 15 of us have gathered for advanced mediation training. The group is wonderful and diverse. Men and women from 21 to 77 years old. The presentations and practice sessions have been rich and rewarding. The discussions have been particularly insightful and thought provoking. Below is a list of some of the topics and questions we will tackle during these sessions.

How do you stay neutral?
How do you work with power dynamics?
Transitions from mediation to other roles we must play (supervisor, e.g.)
Are religion and cultural heritage part of the history we take into account
How does it work when ideas of right or wrong are at the core
When to hang a case to a professional
Way to show insights without losing your role
What to do when you feel people are ready to give up (& so are you)
How to relate mediation to work place and school
How to teach skills to participants during mediation
Accountability
When or if to present solutions and suggestions
Issue focus or focus on person
Aggression in the background
Unbalanced numbers on each side of the table- what to do
When is it a retreat?
When is it Mediation or Facilitation?
Conflict- ongoing bad behavior needs to stop
Teach people to listen and how to encourage people to speak up for themselves
Men and Women and Emotions- Gender issues
What to do if conflict has become addictive
How can we create a desire for resolution?

In Community,

John

Advanced Mediation Training

2010-09-21T11:34:00.000-07:00

Advanced Mediation Training

Mondays in October

October 4, 11, 18 & 25

We will be meeting at 16 W. Stimson Ave from 6:30 - 9:00 PM

Parking is available in the Hocking Valley Bank parking lot or on the street

More Thoughts on Advanced Training

2010-08-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

Hi. I wanted to share a few of my thoughts on the advanced training we'll be having in October. I know a lot of us enjoyed and appreciated the ways we were able to come together in the various Fundamentals of Mediation trainings we've held over the years. The sense of community and the joy of learning together was lovely.

I'm excited about the many opportunities I think this new series will present:

The chance to recreate some of that community with a new collection of smart, caring people.

The chance to hone our skills together as people who want to play a better role in responding to challenges conflict brings forward.

The chance to grow our mediation services in important ways.

By the end of the series, I'd like to have several "mediation gangs" formed.
These might include:

Folks who won't be doing formal mediation but want to be effective conflict resolvers at work and in our personal lives.

Those who want to focus on workplace mediation

Those who want to focus on mediation for couples and families

Those who want to focus on court related mediation.

......and more.

I have a number of ideas and topics already in my head and expect to return from a national conference next month with even more. As usual, we'll do our best to reflect the interests and concerns that you bring to the training. I'm excited about this and hope you will be able to join us. I'd love for everyone to make all 4 sessions, of course. If you can only make 3, please come anyways.

In community,

John

Advanced Training in Mediation and Conflict Resolution

2010-08-16T08:28:00.000-07:00

Advanced Training in Mediation
and Conflict Resolution

Monday Nights October 4, 11, 18, and 25
6:30-9:00 PM

Open to all who have attended training or have significant related experience.

Free to OU folks thanks to our contract through Provost.
Donation encouraged from others ($30-200)

Our trainings are designed to be lively, interactive, and practical

Sessions will include review of basics, new ideas and approaches, time for questions, practice and sharing.

Topics will include:

Best Practices in mediation
The key role of listening well
Reframing is fun
Working with "difficult people"
The transformative model
Mediating in the workplace
Making small claims mediation work
Working successfully with families, couples, teens, college students, and elders

We will meet on or near campus

Contact John or Megan 594-6169 or aams@frognet.net

Slipperiness and Mediation

2010-08-16T08:27:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of teaching a graduate class in mediation and public policy dispute resolution this spring. Boy did I learn a lot. I'm pretty sure most of the students did, too.

One of the things I learned is just how slippery the essential approaches of mediation are for many people. In mediation, we don't tell people what to do or decide who wins. We try to help people have a conversation, to express the things they need to say. We work to create an environment where they can hear each other.

In the culture we live in, people are often in a hurry, often on the offensive, and often offering advice, solicited or not. It's difficult to find the space, and the patience, to engage with someone we disagree with. I was challenged in this recent class, to help students find this new perspective of patience and listening and engagement on a deeper level. I found that I was struggling at times to be patient myself.

Fortunately, it was a rather bright and curious group, and we were able to wrestle together to figure out some interesting things. Sometimes when I'm being passionate in trying to show people how important it is to listen, surprise surprise, I need to temper that passion by listening myself. Listening to the students helped me "get it" about what was not being presented clearly enough and what they needed to move forward.

Advanced Training in Mediation and Conflict Resolution

2010-08-03T08:37:00.000-07:00

Advanced Training in Mediation
and Conflict Resolution

Best Practices in mediation
The key role of listening well
Reframing is fun
Working with "difficult people"
The transformative model
Mediating in the workplace
Making small claims mediation work
Working successfully with families, couples, teens, college students, and elders

We will meet on or near campus

Contact John or Megan 594-6169 or aams@frognet.net

Slipperiness and Mediation

2010-06-21T11:43:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of teaching a graduate class in mediation and public policy dispute resolution this spring. Boy did I learn a lot. I'm pretty sure most of the students did, too.

2010-05-19T08:47:00.000-07:00

Putt People First Season Opening Day!!! Sunday, May 23rd from 11am-3pm. There will be Free Play, Tournaments, Raffles, Prizes, Music and Refreshments! Come Join the FUN!!! We are located off Dairy Lane from Richland Avenue.

Come sign up for League Play!!!

Regular Season

Equipment Rental Fees

Adults - $5.00
Students- $3.00
Children under 6- FREE
We offer group rates

Hours of operation

Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday 4pm-dark
Saturday & Sunday Noon-Dark

All precedes benefit people with Autism and other developmental disabilities.
All donations are shared by our two agencies to benefit Athens County Citizens.

Miniature Golf Season Open!

2010-05-07T09:11:00.000-07:00

Sunday, May 9th is our first OPEN day for the 2010 Putt People First Season. The season grand opening ceremony and games will be May 23rd. Come on in and play and help us work out the bugs to get everything perfect for the Grand Opening.

The Miniature Golf course is located off Dairy Lane from Richland Avenue in Athens, Ohio.

See you then!!!

Lots Going On!!!!!

2010-04-14T09:39:00.000-07:00

Monday, April 19 is the start of the Mediation Training Sessions. They will be held at the building across from the Stimson Ave. Hocking Valley Bank (7 W. Stimson) from 6:00 pm-9:00 pm. For more information on this contact John at aams@frognet.net or by phone at 740-594-6169.

Mini Golf at the Ridges

2010-04-12T09:47:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for the 2010 Season opening of the Putt People First mini golf course. It will be opening on Saturday, May 8th at 12 pm. Come Join us in getting it ready for the opening on Saturday, April 17th. We will be there from 10 am till 3 pm. Everyone is welcomed.

Email us if your interested at...

aams@frognet.net

Hope to see you there!

Mediation Training Sessions

2010-04-05T09:23:00.001-07:00

The Athens Area Mediation Service is sponsoring an intensive training in mediation skills. Those participating will learn to use the listening skills and thoughtfully structured approaches of mediation to respond to a wide variety of conflict situations. Past participants have reported being more effective in addressing conflict in the workplace and in their family lives.

Our training style is informal, participatory, and fun. Over four hundred people have enjoyed this training over the last six years.

Monday nights, April 19 – May 10
6:00 – 9:00 PM each night
(Participation in all 5 sessions is encouraged)

Who: Faculty, classified staff, administrators, students & community members. Space is limited.

Cost: The training is free for folks who work with Ohio University, thanks to arrangements through the Provost’s Office. The usual fee is $300.00. We offer some scholarships for community members not associated with OU and for students.

Where: On or near campus

Registration: contact John or Erin @ 594-6169 or aams@frognet.net

Souper Bowl Success

2010-03-08T11:10:00.000-08:00

Souper Bowl 2010 was a huge success. About 240 people attended. Thank you to all the Merchants and wonderful people involved with making this happen.

Souper Bowl Sunday

2010-02-24T10:51:00.000-08:00

Sunday, March 7 is the 10th annual Souper Bowl at the Athens Community Center from 4:30-6:00 pm. Enjoy a delicious meal provided by area restaurants and take home a locally made hand-crafted bowl. Entertainment will be provided by local musicians. Tickets for this event are $20-35 and can be obtained by calling the Athens Area Mediation Service office at 594-6169 or stopping by Passion Works Studio at 20 E. State Street.

Here we go - yikes

2010-02-19T08:29:00.000-08:00

Okay, we're going to try this blogging thing, more content next time. John

We Can Work it Out

Souper Bowl Sunday 2012

What We Do

PPF

Working Days at Putt People First

Working Days at Putt People First

Working Days at Putt People FirstSunday, May 1st from 12:30-3:00 pmSunday, May 8th from 11:30-3:00 pmLocated off of Dairy Lane!

Mediation Training this June!

Town Hall Forum Tonight From 6:30 – 8:30 PM At The Athens Community Center

Souper Bowl Success

Souper Bowl Sunday

Fundamentals of Mediation Training

11th Annual Souper Bowl

Up Coming Mediation Training

Monday Nights in Training

Advanced Mediation Training

More Thoughts on Advanced Training

Advanced Training in Mediation and Conflict Resolution

Slipperiness and Mediation

Advanced Training in Mediation and Conflict Resolution

Slipperiness and Mediation

Miniature Golf Season Open!

Lots Going On!!!!!

Mini Golf at the Ridges

Mediation Training Sessions

Souper Bowl Success

Souper Bowl Sunday

Here we go - yikes

Working Days at Putt People First

Sunday, May 1st from 12:30-3:00 pm
Sunday, May 8th from 11:30-3:00 pm

Located off of Dairy Lane!